One sway, two sways, three sways, four, five, six, seven, eight…

At midnight, Zhang Su, who had squeezed in two hours of sleep, crawled out of bed. It was time for him to relieve Zheng Xinyu from watch duty.

He got dressed and walked out of the RV; the outside air was chilly, hovering around seven or eight degrees—cold enough to be uncomfortable, but not life-threatening.

Zhang Su rubbed his hands together, quietly climbed onto the RV, lit a cigarette, and softly said, “Xinyu, go get some rest.”

Zheng Xinyu suddenly reached out and pinched Zhang Su’s inner thigh.

“Yikes…” Zhang Su thought she was up to something else but was caught off guard by the pinch to his soft flesh. Winced, he whispered, “Are you crazy? Why pinch me?!”

As he spoke, he was rubbing his inner thigh, feeling as if being cut would hurt less…

Zheng Xinyu’s gaze turned ghostly as she leaned in close, shoving a pistol and walkie-talkie into his arms, and grumbled, “Last time with me, you only lasted twenty-two minutes. But today, the car shook for twenty-eight minutes, hmph!”

Zhang Su was stunned, and by the time he regained his composure, Zheng Xinyu was already descending the stairs slowly. He chased to the side and flipped a middle finger, saying, “You’re a freak, timing it like that, damn!”

“Hmph.”

Zheng Xinyu hummed coquettishly, leaving Zhang Su disheveled in the wind as she went back into the camper to sleep.

Zhang Su ruffled his slightly long hair, chuckled helplessly, and sat down on a folding chair, turning on the walkie-talkie, “Xiaopang, Xiaopang, wake up and pee!”

Soon, the walkie-talkie echoed back, “Uncle, I didn’t sleep, and I noticed someone in Panggezhuang. Saw flashlight waves over two hours ago, oh-wa.”

Pang Dakun was wide awake, scanning the rooftops diligently, chatting with Corgi Good Fortune in a laid-back manner, quite casually.

“Probably someone returning to the village for supplies, nothing strange. Keep an eye out, stay alert.”

“Roger that, oh-wa!”

“What’s with all the oh-oh-oh, what’s that about?”

Zhang Su felt slightly uncomfortable hearing Pang Dakun’s plastic English, why add an Ah San accent to his speech?

“That’s how it is in the movies; agents always end their walkie-talkie conversations with an oh-wa, oh-wa.”

“Alright, oh-wa oh-wa, no need to reply!”

After saying that, Zhang Su shook his head, picked up the binoculars to look into the distance, all the while contemplating future plans.

Zheng Xinyu’s watch time was from nine at night to twelve o’clock; Zhang Su’s was from twelve to three, with Zhong Xiaoshan taking over the final shift until dawn.

Time swiftly passed to three o’clock, and Zhong Xiaoshan emerged from the car, only to find Zhang Su at the gate fending off zombies.

“I don’t know which nearby village the zombies wandered over from.”

Zhang Su gently laid down the zombie he had stabbed with a dagger, then turned to Zhong Xiaoshan and said.

“You must be tired, hurry and get warm in the car, you still have a few hours to sleep.”

Zhong Xiaoshan wrapped the cloak fashioned from a tablecloth around her, planting a kiss on Zhang Su’s face.

However, just as Zhang Su stepped toward the RV, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and his ears perked up.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhong Xiaoshan inquired softly.

“Shh!”

Zhang Su gestured for Zhong Xiaoshan to stay quiet, as the walkie-talkie in his hand buzzed.

“Brother Su, three people are approaching from the city direction, coming in from the city direction, oh-wa!”

Zhang Su and Zhong Xiaoshan hurriedly left the factory gate and hid behind a wall, soon hearing rapid footsteps, growing closer, until they could hear the heavy breathing of the incoming people.

Under the faint walkie-talkie light, Zhang Su and Zhong Xiaoshan exchanged a knowing glance; the three were clearly heading straight for the factory!

Right on cue, they soon saw two beams of light shining through the gate obstacles into the yard, followed by a conversation outside.

“Uncle Jia, you didn’t mistake it, there are people here!”

“This barrier is new, the branches must have been picked just yesterday!”

“I told you I saw a glow from the rooftop, thank goodness, finally some rescue.”

From the sound, it was apparent the newcomers were three men; Zhang Su immediately gripped the USP in his hand. If these three men were armed, it could devastate their temporary camp!

Just as Zhang Su was on guard, the other party raised their voices.

“Hello, masters inside, we are survivors from the city. Could you provide some aid?”

An older sounding voice echoed within the factory area.

Zhang Su signaled Zhong Xiaoshan to stay put, then he himself stepped out from the shadows, illuminating his flashlight alongside the gun towards the gate, and said, “Raise your hands, keep them where I can see them, don’t move!”

The glare of the light was blinding, yet the three could make out the silhouette of the gun distinctly.

“No, don’t shoot, we’re not bad people, we’re not here to cause trouble. Good sir, we’re all good men here, this is a weapon! Quick, Xiaoqi, Xiaolü, hand over your weapons!”

Ding ding dang dang, along with the man’s words, two homemade short spears and a crowbar were thrown into the roadblock. From the current situation, unless the roadblock is removed, there’s little chance the three can easily retrieve their weapons. Very sincere.

“Xiaopang, damn it, someone saw you smoking. No smoking when you’re on watch anymore!”

Zhang Su criticized Pang Dakun over the walkie-talkie. The three people made it clear, the flash of light on the roof was obviously Pang Dakun lighting a cigarette.

“Got it, Uncle… Oh wa.”

Pang Dakun answered quickly.

Zhang Su then looked at the three people outside the gate: “Step back, turn around so I can have a look!”

Throwing out their weapons, it’s highly likely they have other things hidden on them.

The three obediently retreated a few steps and then slowly turned around twice. The man called Uncle Jia spoke: “Brother, we really are just ordinary survivors.”

Zhang Su observed carefully, couldn’t spot any major issues, and asked: “Where are you coming from?”

“Brother, we escaped from Qin City. Our gathering place was breached by zombies yesterday. We fled for our lives, and our food and water are limited. Could you spare us some aid? We can exchange tools and medicines!”

The middle-aged man Uncle Jia said earnestly.

The conversation at the factory gate was quite audible in the quiet night. Gradually, people emerged from RVs and the factory, and Zhong Xiaoshan informed everyone of the situation.

“Xiaopang, check if there’s anyone else in the distance!”

Zhang Su instructed Pang Dakun to observe the situation.

The middle-aged man naturally knew what worried Zhang Su, so he quickly clarified: “Brother, there’s only three of us. We escaped alone and have no ill intentions.”

“Uncle, no one seen in all directions, oh wa!”

Pang Dakun reported.

“I’ll ask, you’ll answer. What did you do before the disaster?”

Zhang Su felt the three were polite and measured, so didn’t rudely drive them away or simplify the exchange, intending to first probe their background.

Outside the gate, the three were initially puzzled by the question, then the middle-aged man said: “I used to work as an electrician.”

A young voice continued: “I was a hairstylist in a barber shop.”

The last one said: “I was a delivery guy…”

Zhang Su nodded and followed up: “Second question, have you killed zombies?”

“Yes…”

The electrician and delivery guy answered in unison.

The hairstylist mumbled hesitantly: “Does failing to kill count?”

Zhang Su didn’t respond to the hairstylist, instead asked: “Last question. Have you killed people?”

“No, no…”

This time the hairstylist and delivery guy answered together, waving their hands.

Electrician Uncle Jia slightly lowered his head, after a moment said: “Does someone who was infected but not yet zombified count?”

Zhang Su focused the flashlight on the electrician’s face, not fearing to blind him, seriously observing his expression. Yet, before he could discern anything, an astonished voice sounded behind him.

“Master Jia?”

Tan Huajun draped her coat, came out of the crowd to Zhang Su’s side, emotionally said: “Brother Su, he, he is, he is Uncle Jia my daughter mentioned in her letter!”

“Uncle Jia…”

Zhang Su murmured, memories surged instantly, Tan Huajun’s residence in Phoenix International had a man named Jia who formed a self-rescue team, and Tan Huajun’s daughter and father had left with this team.

Outside, the person known as Master Jia seemed bewildered, shielding his eyes from the flashlight, confusedly asked: “Who are you?”

Zhang Su dimmed the flashlight to illuminate Tan Huajun.

“Me, Xiaotan, Tan Huajun from the gas station. You fixed my e-bike one summer when it wouldn’t charge!” Tan Huajun hurriedly introduced herself, then urgently asked without waiting for him to react: “Master Jia, where are the other members of your self-rescue team?”

Upon hearing this question, the three outside the gate became immediately dejected.

Zhang Su’s heart skipped a beat and he addressed the people behind him: “Come, let’s remove the barrier a bit.”

Zhao Xue and Zhang Ya rushed forward, together dismantling the barbed wire to open a gap, while Lu Yubo, Zhao Dezhu, and several other men with weapons brought the three outside the gate inside. Although Tan Huajun recognized their leader, caution was still necessary.

Tan Huajun rushed to Jia Shiqin, shook his shoulders, and asked: “Master Jia, don’t scare me, where’s Xiaolan and my dad? Ah?”

Slap!

Who could have foreseen, Jia Shiqin suddenly gave himself a heavy slap.

“My fault, it’s all due to my negligence, I didn’t consider all aspects, I harmed everyone…”

On hearing this, Tan Huajun’s knees weakened, her belief crumbled instantly, and Zhang Su swiftly supported her, saying: “Come, come, let’s talk inside!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep